Rough Seas
by A Moonless Sky
Summary: Vice Admiral Monkey D. Lucy had one dream, dethrone the Tenryuubito. She knew it wouldn't be an easy task, especially when her twin brother's own dream was to be King of the Pirates. Mihawk/OC (title subject to change)
1. Chapter 1

_A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not to be done._

 _~Marge Piercy_

The woman radiated authority. Everything about her; her frigid posture, the no nonsense look in her eyes, the sharp angle of her face, the confidence in every step she took. The recruits scurried out of her way the minute they saw her approaching. She was famous around the base, hell, she was famous around the world.

"Vice Admiral Lucy." A voice from behind the woman interrupted, capturing the attention of the intimidating woman. She turned around, chin tilted upwards to meet the eyes of the recruit standing behind her. Despite the boy being twice her size, his hand was trembling as he saluted. She nodded once and he relaxed his position, hands still shaking as he held out his other hand, a stack of papers between his fist. "The updated bounties that you requested."

"Thank you." Lucy replied curtly, taking the papers and dismissing the boy with a wave of her hand before continuing on her path. She was eager to be away from the wretched Marine Base. She had only docked in the first place because she was being assigned new recruits -as if they hadn't given her enough already-, she assumed it was a very intentional action. They were still testing her abilities, despite having held the title of 'Vice Admiral' for three years, despite having proved herself time and time again to the Gorosei, they still didn't trust her.

Not that she could blame them given her background. On one hand she was the granddaughter of Monkey D. Garp 'Hero of the Marines', but on the same hand she was daughter to Monkey D. Dragon 'World's Most Dangerous Criminal'. It seemed they still didn't know who she took after more.

As she exited the base, nodding to those who were sent to see her off, she was absentmindedly shuffling through the newly printed stack of bounties in her hand. There was nothing too astonishing, not the she was surprised, she was looking at the stack from the East Blue after all. Her home sea was notoriously quiet, the Marines made sure of that.

Just as she strode onto her ship, a familiar face caught her attention. Aware of her crew, new and old members, watching her every move, she didn't react. Keeping her face blank, her fist tightened around the stack of papers and she slipped away into her office and promptly locked the door. Right there, on the top of the stack, staring back at her with a giant grin and a thirty million Belli bounty was a face so similar to her that it was as if she was staring into a mirror. However the face on the paper was too round, too soft, too happy.

Lucy's smile mirrored the one on the paper as her brother grinned up at her. She shook her head with a mixture of affection and exasperation, because of course his first bounty would be so ridiculous.

Monkey D. Lucy has been waiting too see her brother's face on one of the bounty posters for a long time. It's why she had the new ones brought to her immediately. Since they were kids, she knew of his dream to be King of the Pirates, she knew it would have only been a matter of time before he started to make a name her himself, and there was a time when she would have been right by his side.

"Thirty million." She said to herself, a laugh bubbling its way to the surface. Lucy never doubted her brother, they shared the same stubbornness after all. She never her brother would fight tooth and nail to make his dream come true, even though it made them enemies by nature.

It was almost funny how opposite their situations were. How far apart on the spectrum they landed. Despite being twins, from an outsider's perspective they couldn't have been more different. There was a sharp knock on her door and she shuffled the papers before opening the door, keeping her expression stoic.

"Thirty million huh? Impressive for a first timer." A snarky voice commented, a smirk on the person's face as they waltzed in and Lucy quickly shut the door behind them.

"Rin." She greeted, giving the blue-haired Commodore a once over.

"C'mon LuLu, don't be so cold with me!" Rin groaned, throwing an arm around the dark-haired female's shoulders. "Aren't you proud of your lil bro?"

"You are careless Rin." Lucy admonished. "And I never told you which one of us was born first."

"I know, but it's textbook. You're the older, more mature sibling and Luffy's your goofball little brother. Anyone could tell just by looking at the two of you." Lucy shrugged Rin's arm off and took a seat behind her desk, fanning the bounties out and her eyes were immediately drawn to her brother's.

"You've never seen the two of us together, your forming that hypothesis based on this one picture of him." Lucy pointed out, gathering the papers and placing them in a drawer before grabbing from the massive stack of paperwork on her desk and turning her attention towards that.

"Tell me I'm wrong then LuLu." Rin taunted, leaning against her desk with a devilish grin on their face. Lucy fixed them with a hard stare before focusing on the document in her hand. "See, I'm right."

"Did you come here merely to discuss my little brother?"

"Is it wrong for me to visit my nearest and dearest friend? We're on the same warship LuLu, I have to keep myself occupied somehow."

"You could have your own warship if you wished, commanding one of those would give you endless entertainment." Lucy said bluntly, signing one of the countless documents on her desk.

"But then I'd be seperated from you, and though you may not admit it, you like having me around.' Rin chirped happily, smirking at the Vice Admiral.

"You're just full of theories today Rin."

"Bet ya wanna know what he did to warrant a bounty that big." Rin teased, causing Lucy to still.

"After all these years and you would assume I don't keep tabs on my brother?" Lucy shot back, her own smirk merely a ghost on her lips, but the amusement in her eyes managing to shine through.

"You're no fun." Rin pouted. "Your brother seems to be though, taking down the Arlong pirates, that's no easy feat."

"He ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, that paired with his assortment of comrades and unbending will when he sets his mind to do something doesn't make it that surprising." She commented, barely trying to hide the admiration in her voice.

"Ah yes, who has he enlisted?" Rin pondered. "Roronoa Zoro is the big name, then there's the girl, the one who worked for Arlong, Nami I think her name was. Um, the blonde cook, Sanji. He trained under Red-Leg Zeff so he's no pushover. Then there's Yasopp's kid, Usopp, if he's half the marksman his father is he'll be remarkable. Your brother is keeping good company."

"His plan is to be the King of the Pirates, of course his crew would be top notch." Lucy responded, not bothering to mask the pride radiating from her.

"If that why you keep me around, because I'm top notch?" Rin asked slyly, leaning close to the dark-haired woman.

"I don't keep you around, you refuse to leave. There's a difference."

"Ya know his next destination has to be the Grand Line. There's a good chance you'll be seeing your lil bro sooner rather than later."

Lucy's movement's stalled. "That's an inevitable development."

"Very few people know of the connection between the two of ya, but the ones who do are important. If there's a run in, if you don't do everything in your power to bring him in, the higher ups will know."

"I am aware of this Rin. Luffy made his choice just as I made mine, we knew what that entailed." Lucy said, more to reassure herself than anything.

Contrary to the outwards appearance and reputation the Vice Admiral had built over the years, she was a very caring person, and she cared deeply about her brother. She cared deeply about a lot of things. However, to advance within the Marines, to prove herself, to gain the respect of men twice, three times, even four times her age, she had to be ruthless. Any emotion was weakness.

So, she buried them.

However, she knew her brother was her weakness. When it came down to it, she'd abandon everything for her brother; her dream, even her life. Because Luffy was _good_. Lucy had done some things she wasn't proud of, things that would haunt her for the remainder of her life, but her little brother was pure hearted, was a ball of sunshine and laughter.

"Earth to LuLuuuu." Rin sang, placing their face right in front of Lucy's. She pushed it away, crossing her legs and leaning back into her chair. Before she could even take a breath, there was a frantic knocking at her door.

"Enter."

A frazzled officer was standing there and immediately saluted when he stepped into Lucy's office.

"Report."

"Vice Admiral Lucy, we are currently approaching Loguetown where it has been reported that Buggy the Clown, Iron Mace Alvida, and the Straw Hat Pirates are all docked." Lucy and Rin both froze. Of course. Of course her brother would happen to be in Loguetown, she should have known he would stop there given his fascination with Roger. Of course he would happen to be there at the exact moment she was passing by the re enter the Grand Line. Of course he would have just amassed a thirty million Belli bounty.

If his bounty wasn't so high she could ignore it. There was a Marine base in Loguetown and it would have been easy to leave the small fry to Smoker. But thirty million made her brother a priority. The Gorosei wanted him caught and dealt with fast. The mixture of the 'D' in his name and parentage made him a threat. He was already shaking things up with taking down Arlong, no matter that it made things easier on their end, he was effecting things.

She could feel a headache coming on and any pride she had been feeling vanished. Lucy was still proud of her brother, but she wished it hadn't become her problem so quickly.

"Alright, we'll be docking at Loguetown. I don't doubt Smoker's ability but it would be better not to leave anything to chance. Dismissed." The officer left just as fast as he came and Lucy sighed.

"You know you have really shitty luck, right?" Rin asked, a smile not present on their face for the first time since they came into her office.

Lucy didn't respond, merely opening her drawer and shaking her head at the smiling face on the top of the stack of bounties. Nothing but trouble.

 **A/N: So I actually sat down and developed Lucy (with the help of the lovely Tsume Yuki sharing her own notes) so I'm going through and editing now that I know my character better. Some minor changes are made, nothing crazy is going to change so if you don't want to reread the chapters I don't think you really have to. Anyway, enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

_My family is my strength and weakness._

 _~Aishwarya Rai Bachchan_

The minute Lucy's heeled shoes stepped foot on the docks of Loguetown, she could feel her brother. There wasn't a scientific or logical explanation to it, but they had always had an unnatural way of knowing when the other was near. It was a pulling, two halves of a whole trying to come together. He no doubt knew she was near.

She had been hoping against all odds that Luffy would have already gave Smoker the slip and booked it. A confrontation was the last thing she wanted.

"Vice Admiral Lucy." A gruff voice greeted and the woman tilted her head up to meet Smoker's steely eyes. From what she could see behind the cloud of white smoke anyway.

"Captain Smoker." Lucy acknowledged, nodding her head. "I apologize for intruding, but you must understand that I could simply pass by knowing a pirate with a thirty million Belli bounty was docked here. I hope you don't take this as an insult to your abilities."

"You're doing what you have to do, I understand." The tall man replied, his signature white smoke expelling from his mouth with every word. Lucy didn't have to look at Rin to know her friend wasn't even to hide the disgust on their face.

"Good. What is the status of current events?" The two began to walk side by side in the direction of the town square, Rin and a handful of officers following them. She knew Smoker had more than enough and any more would be redundant. Besides, she wasn't planning on staying in Loguetown long.

"Buggy, Alvida, and Straw Hat are at the execution platform. Buggy plants to execute Straw Hat and from what my men have reported, will probably succeed. I have officers positioned to move in after he's executed. Might as well let them pick each other off first, makes my job easier." Lucy's heart skipped a beat and she felt Rin tense behind he, but she fought to keep her expression from giving anything away.

"You're foolish to believe Straw Hat will be killed so easily. He earned a thirty million Belli bounty seamlessly and his comrades seem to be a formidable bunch." Lucy didn't know if she was saying it as a warning or to comfort herself. Luffy wouldn't die. He couldn't die.

"Regardless, none of them are leaving here. Dead or alive." Smoker conceded, shrugging his shoulders and shooting a sidelong glance at the shorter woman. Lucy kept her head facing forward, she knew Smoker's reputation, his power. He had defeated many a pirate who assumed they could make it past him to the Grand Line. If worse went to worse, she knew she could beat the man, but it wouldn't be an easy fight and she would prefer to avoid it if possible.

The minute they stepped into the town square, Lucy's eyes were drawn to her brother. It wasn't something she could fight even if she tried. It had been years since she had seen him, ever since she left Dawn Island to train with Garp. Seeing him lifted a weight off of her chest that she didn't even know was there, for the first time in years she felt like she could _breathe_. Seeing him on top of the execution platform, sword aimed at his neck took the breath away just as fast.

It was a scene from only her worst nightmares, brought to life. She noticed Luffy's face contort in confusion and -with the limited head movement he had-, began searching the crowd of people. His eyes finally met Lucy's and his face lit up so bright it was like gazing directly into the sun. The bounty did his smile no justice.

"I'm...dead." He said simply, smile still present on his face as Buggy sword began to descend upon his neck. Lucy took a step forward, the air around her beginning to swirl as the muscles in her body tensed to spring into action. Before she could dematerialize, the electricity in the air increased seemingly out of nowhere and in the moment right before the sword took off Luffy's head; lightning struck.

Everyone froze and Lucy watched helplessly as the tower collapsed, as Shank's hat fluttered down. She kept her face blank as her brother extracted himself from the charred wood, completely unscathed, and picked up the straw hat.

"I'm still alive after all." He laughed. "I got lucky."

Lucy clenched her fist. He was so careless, so nonchalant. Not a speck of self preservation in his body. Though furious, Lucy also knew she couldn't say anything without being a hypocrite.

"Are these all coincidences?" She vaguely heard Smoker mutter to himself. "It's as if heaven is trying to let that man live."

"Heaven or not, they're getting away. I'll pursue them while you stay here and clean up this mess. Rin, you stay here too." Lucy commanded, pushing down her emotions and becoming the Marine that she was. The Marine that she had to be.

"Yes ma'am." Rin said easily, lazily saluting her before jumping into the fray. She didn't look at Smoker, instead, she took a deep breath and felt her body dematerialize, become lighter until she held no physical form. And she was the wind.

When she was young, Lucy at the Kaze-Kaze no Mi, the Wind-Wind Fruit. It had washed up on the shores of Dawn Island and it happened to be one of the rare times she was separated from her brother. Hungry from being fed so little by Dadan, she didn't think twice before devouring the foul tasting fruit.

Lucy flew above the buildings, looking for her brother and his crew. She spotted the green-haired swordsman clashing with one of Smoker's underlings, Tashigi if she remembered correctly. That didn't concern her. Not long in front of them, however, was her brother and a blonde boy. With a push, she propelled herself in front of them, rematerializing the minute her heels touched the ground.

Her white Marine coat fluttered down and she absolutely radiated authority. She wasn't Luffy's sister, his twin, she was Vice Admiral Monkey D. Lucy of the Marines.

"Monkey D. Lucy, you are under arrest for several county of piracy, I implore you to come quietly." Lucy stated simply. Luffy stared at her dumbly and she saw the blonde one ogling her. Foolish.

"Did you descend straight from heaven because you must be an angel!" He exclaimed, clapping his hand together and staring at her in adoration.

"Do not make me repeat myself pirate. Turn yourself in or prepare to fight." Lucy commanded, the air around her beginning to swirl.

"Lu!" Luffy finally shouted happily, the same smile from before lighting up his face. His companion blinked, looking back and forth between them in confusion. Luffy ran at her, arms outstretched and a laugh spilling from his mouth. Her heart ached. She knew Smoker was close, he would be arriving at any minute. As much as she wanted to embrace her brother, she took a deep breath and as soon as he was close enough, increased the air pressure around them drastically, slamming Luffy into the ground so hard the concrete cracked.

She paid no mind to his comrade, instead leaning down to her still smiling brother and putting her lips to his ear.

"We are not siblings here Luffy, remember that." She warned and his smile never so much as faltered. Against her better judgement, she let a small smile slip onto her face. "Good job Lu, I'm proud of you."

"If it makes no difference to you Vice Admiral, I'd like to handle this situation. I told him he couldn't enter the Grand Line unless he beat me." Smoker interrupted, having finally arrived. Completely unruffled, Lucy stood and wiped the nonexistent dirt from her pencil skirt.

"This area is under your jurisdiction Captain Smoker, do as you please." She consented, turning her back to her brother and walking away. "I will stay to observe though, I am curious about the man who amassed such as high bounty."

"Sanji, go on ahead. I'll be right there." Luffy said, slowly getting to his feet.

"Well, I don't know about that. This is the end for you."

Thunder clapped and Luffy's smile never strayed. Sanji was obviously reluctant to leave his captain, but a firm 'Go!' got him moving.

In order to get out of the way, Lucy concentrated air to the bottom of her feet and floated up to one of the surrounding rooftops. It gave her a better angle to observe. She wasn't lying about wanting to see Luffy's abilities. He had power, the question was just how much.

"I'll beat you and enter the Grand Line. I'm the man who'll be King of the Pirates."

Lucy didn't hear Smoker's response, but she saw his fists dissolve into white smoke and engulf her brother. Luffy was noticeable confused. So he didn't know about Smoker's abilities, that leaves him at an unfortunate disadvantage. He slammed her brother into the ground and for it moment it looked like he wouldn't get up.

She knew better, and sure enough in the next moment he assaulted Smoker with his own attack, that unfortunately had no effect. Smoker slammed Luffy against a wall, keeping him there under a barrage of white smoke, and though he tried to retaliate, his fist went right through Smoker.

Luffy was at a disadvantage. He relied on his Devil Fruit, but he was faced with an opponent who was able to render his attacks obsolete. This must have been his first experience with a Logia user.

Smoker had Luffy pinned to the ground and was reaching for his blade when someone appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Lucy was baffled. How did she not notice this person appear? Not sense an approaching figure? The figure placed their hand over Smoker, keeping him from drawing his blade.

The intruder was unprecedented. Lucy floated back down, landing in front of the figure draped in a green cloak.

"You're…"

Lucy was frozen.

"Wh-what? Who's that? Who's that?"

"That government wants your head?" Smoker informed.

"The world is waiting for our answer."

Everything turned green and a violent wind whipped through the town. Smoker and Luffy were blown away but Lucy resisted. She _was_ the wind and she would not be blown away so easily.

"Monkey D. Dragon." She said, almost bordering a question over the howling wind.

The man didn't look up, keeping his face hidden. She was shaking, she couldn't control it. Not because this man was the most wanted man in the world, not because this man was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, but because of the information she had pried out of her grandfather. Because of the information she had kept from even Luffy. Because this man was her _father_.

"Vice Admiral Lucy, an honor to meet such a distinguished member of the Marines." He replied, a confident smirk on the part of his face she could see. But there was something in his voice, something softer, something sad. It made her angry, it made her sad, it made her confused, it made her a lot of things she couldn't think about, not now.

"You are under arrest for conspiring against the World Government." She stated, voice trembling.

"It's a bit funny don't you think, one of you a Marine, the other a pirate. Two sides of the same coin." Dragon laughed and Lucy clenched her first. He pulled the hood from his head and she swallowed hard when she saw the serious expression on his face, the knowledge in his dark eyes that reminded her so much of her own. "But you're not a Marine are you? Not really."

Lucy's blood ran cold. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" He grinned, some would say maniacally. Her breathing increased as she began to panic because how could he possible have knowledge of that. How could he possible know her real motives. Seeing the panicked look on her face, he chuckled. "Have no fear Vice Admiral, I won't tell anyone your secret."

"Then what's the point. Why let me know what you know." She challenged with more bravado than she possessed.

"Because if you ever find yourself tired of the Marines, there will always be a spot open for you with us." Lucy's breath caught in her throat. It had always been an option, one she considered before making her decision. Her prime motive was the same as theirs, but she knew the Marines were necessary, so she made it her secondary mission to shape the Marines into what they should be.

"I am loyal to the Marines, it would be in your best interest to fill that spot with someone else." She responded, her voice no longer shaking.

"That's a shame." Dragon said simply and she felt her anger spike at his seemingly uncaring attitude.

"Is that all you have to say?" She asked. There were so many questions, so many things she wanted to ask the man in front of her, she didn't even know where to begin. He wouldn't be in front of her for long, that she did know.

"What would you like me to say?" He countered and she shook her head, water flying from the tips of her dark hair. When had it started raining?

"Something. Anything." She pleaded, feeling smaller, feeling more vulnerable than she had in years.

Dragon thought for a moment before closing the distance between them. He raised his hand and she flinched instinctively, causing him to pause. When she didn't move, he placed his hand atop her head. "Any children of mine would be used against me by the World Government, so I don't have any. But, if I had a daughter and she was anything like you, I'd be the proudest father in the world."

He was gone in the next instant.

Lucy's tears mixed with the rain. When she learned her father was the most wanted man in the world, the irony wasn't lost on her. Because of _course_ he was. He was always an afterthought to her, not someone who she thought about daily, merely a passing thought when someone mentioned their own parents.

In her mind, she just didn't have a dad. Even now, she didn't consider the man in the green cloak to be her dad. Dad's were people who tucked you into bed at night, who checked under you bed for monsters, who were in your life. So no, Lucy didn't have a dad. But she undeniably had a father. He knew just what to say, just what she wanted to hear, needed to hear.

"LuLu?" Rin questioned quietly, having snuck up on the distraught woman.

"Let's go Rin." Lucy said, wiping her face and taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I need to talk to my grandfather, in person."

 **A/N: Okay, so Dragon is a hard character to write. We don't get a lot from him but I image he'd be a good father if given the chance. Anyways, lots of family interaction here and some new insight into Lucy. I'm trying to push out a few chapters to get people interested in this story so I can get feedback. Hope you all enjoyed!**

 **fanfictionnatic** _ **: thanks for the review, got a small family reunion for ya!**_

 **blackcat711:** _ **yeah, I toyed with that idea but there's a lot of stuff I want to explore with the twin connection, especially the contrast with one being a pirate and one a marine. Hope you enjoyed!**_

 **M.O.C.A.L.L.I.S.** _ **: thanks! Hope you liked it!**_

 **Thanzintay.2000:** _ **hope it lived up to your expectations!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_The most important thing in the world is family and love._

 _~John Wooden_

Luffy and his crew were relaxing on the deck of the Going Merry, taking it easy after narrowly escaping the Marines in Loguetown. The captain was sitting cross-legged in his usual spot on Merry's head, unnaturally deep in thought as he stared at the open ocean. His crew had noticed his strange behavior, being that normally Luffy would be jumping around, yelling for food or doing some other shenanigans with Usopp.

Sanji finally approached him, still thinking about the strange woman they had run into. About the familiarity his -new- captain showed to an obviously high ranked Marine.

"Who was that Marine woman Luffy?" He asked, lighting a cigarette, but Luffy gave no indication to even hearing him.

"What Marine woman?" Nami questioned, having overhead Sanji.

"She was in Loguetown, possessed some kind of Devil Fruit. She materialized right in front of us out of nowhere, definitely Smoker's boss." Sanji explained, serious for only a moment. "So beautiful too, an angel, no a goddess!"

Nami put her hand to her face in a mix of contemplation and exasperation.

"Was she young? Did she have on a white coat with blue epaulets?" She finally asked, realization dawning on her.

"Yeah, why?" Nami's face paled.

"That was Monkey D. Lucy. You guys came face to face with the 'Prodigy of the Marines', the youngest Vice Admiral in history, The Hurricane. How did you make it back to this ship alive?" Sanji and Luffy were both unbothered by the torrent of information while Nami looked ready to keel over.

"Now that you mention it, Smoker did call her Lucy." Sanji replied before turning his attention back to Luffy, who still hadn't said a word. "But more importantly, you called her 'Lu' and tried to hug her."

Luffy was conflicted, which wasn't something that happened very often. He didn't have to think about what was right and what was wrong, he went with what he believed, he followed his heart. But his wasn't about his heart, this was about his twin. This was about Lucy and how she stressed to him that people couldn't know about their connection until he was confident he could protect himself against the Marines, and even then, it wasn't something he should tell just anybody.

It was important to her, so that made it important to Luffy. He loved his sister, more than anything in the world, more than food, and he would do anything she asked of him. Luffy knew he could take the Marines, but he also knew how important it was for their connection to be kept a secret.

On the other hand, he trusted his crew. They were his friends, his family. He didn't want to keep secrets from them, he trusted them.

 _When you're out on the ocean Lu, if you can't trust your crew with the most important secret you possess, then you need to find a different crew. Trust is instrumental when you're putting your life into the hands of those people._

"Luffy?"

 _I trust your judgement Lu, -though you can be a tad too trusting of people sometimes-, I'm confident that whoever you decide to tell our relation to will keep it a secret._

"Lucy's my twin!" Luffy finally shouted, spinning around with a giant smile as his crew displayed different levels of shock and disbelief.

"You're twin. Monkey D. Lucy and Monkey D. Luffy...how did I miss that?" Nami muttered in disbelief.

"That breathtaking woman is your twin? Impossible!" Sanji protested.

"Of course his twin would be a Marine vice admiral." Zoro chuckled.

"She must have let you go because she knew I was here! Even Vice Admirals tremble at the mention of Captain Usopp!" Said man boasted despite the shaking of his legs.

"You can't tell anybody though, it's a secret." Luffy whispered seriously.

"That makes sense, the Marines would have trouble trusting someone with such a close connection to a pirate." Nami theorized.

"Maybe this is a good thing, she could help us out if we're in a tight spot." Zoro suggested.

"Don't count on it." Sanji quickly replied. "She was ruthless with Luffy, slammed him into the ground hard enough to seriously injure a normal person when he was going for a hug. She's just as likely to try and capture us as any other Marine."

"How cruel." Nami commented and Luffy's expression changed in an instant.

"Lucy's not cruel." He defended, frowning. "It was my fault, I forgot where we were and who was around. We're both chasing our dreams, that doesn't mean we love each other any less. I'm just said I didn't get to land a few punches of my own."

"But still, it must be hard on the both of you not being able to even hug." Nami said sympathetically and Luffy grinned.

"Not really, I can always feel her here." He said, placing a hand over his heart. "We're always with each other, no matter what."

…

Luffy stayed in her office, more so than usual. She didn't have the energy to pretend she was okay, to put on a mask, to pretend to be as unfeeling as everyone thought she was because she wasn't. At that moment, she wasn't the 'Prodigy of the Marines', she wasn't 'The Hurricane', she was just a twenty-one year old woman who met her father for the first time.

There was an uncharacteristically soft knock on her door, and the person didn't want for approval before entering. Rin was subdued. There wasn't any sarcastic remark, no flirtatious wink, no witty banter. They could tell something was wrong and it only made Lucy feel worse.

"Are you...okay?" Rin asked gently, concern lacing their features. Lucy sighed and leaned back in her chair, putting her paperwork -her distraction- aside for a moment.

Lucy and Rin met when they were still recruits. Despite the former's icy exterior, Rin was relentless and the pair became unlikely friends. As she rose through the ranks, Rin stayed by her side, Rin stayed by her side, proving their loyalty time and time again. Rin became Lucy's second-in-command, her most trusted friend and confidant, the only person she told about Luffy, about Dragon.

It wasn't something she told Rin immediately. Garp stressed just how dangerous the information was. Lucy knew all too well how cruel the World Government could be, knew the Gorosei had no doubt weighed the pros and cons of using her to try and get to her father. There was no telling what her "comrades" would do if they knew the truth of her heritage. Enough of them were so power hungry they wouldn't think twice about trying to use her.

But it wasn't something she could deal with alone, so she eventually caved and confided in her friend. There wasn't much she could keep from Rin.

"I'll be fine, it just...wasn't what I expected. _He_ wasn't what I expected." She confessed, rubbing her face with her hands. "He offered me a spot with him like it was nothing, and the worst part is a part of me wanted to accept it."

"I mean, it's understandable. The revolution's goal aligns with our own. Honestly, if I hadn't of met you I'd have probably joined them years ago." Rin commented nonchalantly, taking a seat on Lucy's desk.

When people asked about her dreams, her goals, Lucy's immediate answer was to better the Marines, and it wasn't a complete lie. Lucy truly wanted to mold the Marines into what they should be, protectors of the people, good, not people who eradicate entire islands. However, her real dream, her true goal was to remove the Tenryuubito from power. Rin shared her dream and it was part of the reason they were such good friends.

"I considered the path once too, but I wouldn't fit with the revolution, especially being that Dragon is the leader." Lucy sighed. Many elements affected her decision to take the path of marine instead of revolutionary. There was Garp for one, her grandfather who showed his love with his fists who wanted nothing more than for his grandchildren to be Marines. Lucy loved her grandfather so the decision to join him wasn't hard, even if she wasn't really a Marine like Dragon pointed out.

After careful consideration, Lucy decided it would be easier to dismantle the Tenryuubito from the inside. She would use the revolutionaries as a distraction, would become unbreakably loyal to the marines so that the Gorosei wouldn't so much as suspect her. And when they expected it least, she would dethrone the ones who consider themselves so high above the populace. Who were cruel, who enslaved others, who killed without a second thought.

"Oh, I came to tell you that we've arrived at Garp's ship."

The effect on Lucy was immediate. Her whole body relaxed, the tension left her shoulders and it was easier for her to breathe. Just knowing her grandfather was close by put her at ease. He was safety, he was security, nothing could go wrong when he was near. A childish sentiment, but one she never grew out of.

"Alright, I'll be going then. I won't be long." She said and Rin reflexively went to argue, not wanting to leave Lucy's side, but thought better of it.

"Fine." Rin replied. Lucy calmly walked down the hallway, onto the extensive deck of her warship, nodding at the passing crew who stopped to salute her. Garp was standing opposite her on his own ship, the ridiculous dog mask cloaking his face for the most part.

Instead of having her crew go through the trouble of laying a plank, she gathered wind underneath her feet and floated across.

"Vice Admiral Garp." She greeted briskly when her feet hit the deck, tilting her head up to look at the imposing figure of her grandfather.

"Vice Admiral Lucy." Garp responded and they stood there for a moment before he took his granddaughter into his arms. "Bwahahahaha, serious as always Lucy!"

She couldn't help the laugh that slipped out as Garp spun her around, holding her so tight it could break the bones of an ordinary person. Both their crews looked on in amusement -and fondness in most cases-, at the interaction between the relatives.

The pair shared matching smiles when Garp finally put Lucy down, the latter having to smooth out the wrinkles in her blazer and adjust her skirt. "I've missed you too Gramps."

"Why don't we continue this in my office then?" Garp suggested and Lucy nodded, trailing behind him and sneaking a wave and smile to Bogard, her grandfather's second-in-command and her unofficial uncle. The quiet man mirrored her action before the two disappeared from sight.

Garp spoke the minute they were behind closed doors. "I heard about your encounter with Luffy and Dragon."

Lucy's expression remained neutral as her grandfather crossed his arms.

"If you're upset over seeing Luffy, my advice would be to quit right now. If one meeting with your brother is too much for you to handle, you shouldn't be in the Marines. Now, if you're upset over Dragon, you know there's nothing I can tell you."

The words were harsh, but it had been what she came to expect from Garp. She was his favorite grandchild -following in his footsteps cemented that position for her-, she knew he loved her, but none of that meant he would mince his words. If anything, he would be even harsher when it came to such matters. He would boast about her to anyone that would listen, would shower her in praises, but he wouldn't baby her.

"I'm not upset over Luffy, that exchange went more or less how I expected it to." She admitted, crossing her arms and unintentionally mirroring her grandfather's pose.

"Then it's Dragon." Garp surmised and Lucy sighed. The only reason she had sought out her grandfather was because of the promise she made Tsuru. Her former teacher made her promise she wouldn't keep so much to herself, that she wouldn't let the dark feelings amass herself. If Dragon hadn't have been the subject of her turmoil she would have sought out the woman herself.

"He chose the Revolution over us, that's a fact, it's something I've come to accept, but then we meet and he acts like...like...like a _father_. It was one things when he was just some man who abandoned us, an abstract thought almost, I could picture him as heartless and mean, but now I can't because he knew exactly what to say." She confessed after a moment, scrunching her forehead in frustration.

"Dragon is an enigma, he's my flesh and blood and I've never been able to understand him. He may be the 'World's Most Dangerous Criminal', but that doesn't mean he doesn't care for you and Luffy. I can't give you any more than that."

"I know." Lucy sighed. A knock on the door interrupted them and before either could say anything, the door opened and Rin sauntered in.

"Sorry to interupt but there's a call from headquarters, said it's important." They relayed after saluting to Garp and Lucy nodded once, dismissing her friend.

"Duty calls." Garp commented, grinning at his granddaughter.

"Isn't it always?" She replied, a resigned smile on her own face.

"You're doing great Lucy, you've exceeded all expectations and I know you'll only continue to grow." Lucy hugged her grandfather one more time before departing, the sound of his unique laugh trailing after her.

The transponder snail on her desk was waiting for her so she took a seat and gently picked it up.

"Vice Admiral Monkey D. Lucy reporting."

"Vice ADmiral, you are to provide support to King Nefeltari Cobra in Alabasta in defeating the rebels whom hope to overthrow him. As Alabasta is one of the twenty founding countries of the World Government, you can see the importance of this assignment. Also, Crocodile has taken up residence there so tread carefully."

"I will set sail immediately." Lucy responded and promptly hung up.

She had heard about the unrest in the desert nation so it didn't come at much of a surprise that the Marines would be asked to step in. Crocodile being there also wasn't much a surprise, he had eaten the Suna Suna no Mi, the desert was the ideal place for him. The real question wasn't if he was involved in the chaos, but how was he involved.

Lucy strongly suspected her assignment wouldn't be an easy one, something she had come to expect. No doubt another test of her abilities. She knew there had to be other, more experienced Vice Admirals closer to Alabasta, she had only just entered the Grand Line after all.

"Alabasta huh?" Rin commented, leaning against the doorway. "And if Crocodiles there you know that slimy bastard has something to do with it."

"You should know better than to listen to my conversations." She chastised before being interrupted by a panicked recruit barreling into her office, narrowly avoiding body checking Rin who's reflexes were faster than the average person.

"Vice Admiral Lucy!" She squeaked, sloppily saluting the woman before continuing. "Dracule Mihawk has been spotted approaching the ship."

Lucy nodded, dismissing the panicked recruit who hastily stumbled away.

"Well, today is certainly an eventful day." Rin laughed but Lucy didn't respond, opting to make her way to the deck to alleviate the fear of her new recruits.

She could understand their fear well enough, Dracule "Hawkeyes" Mihawk was no joke. Sure, he was a Shichibukai, a government ordained pirate, but a pirate nonetheless, the 'World's Greatest Swordsman' and a man who should definitely be feared. The senior members of her crew, however, weren't fazed by the approaching swordsman. It wouldn't be the first time the man boarded their ship after all.

"Have tea prepared and brought to my office." Lucy ordered the panicked recruit from before. She scurried off without a second to spare, grateful for an excuse to be off the deck.

Lucy spotted the swordsman, slowly sailing towards her ship. Simply not having the patience, she raised her right hand and gently bent it towards herself, causing the wind to pick up speed. The wind increased Mihawk's pace and he arrived a few minutes later, jumping from his small boat to the Marine warship.

"Mihawk, it's been a while." Lucy greeted, tilting her head up to meet the man's golden, ringed eyes, a practically unseen smile dancing on her lips.

"That it has Lucy." He replied, the ends of his mouth turning up the slightest but to mirror her expression.

"Let's take this to my office, your presence seems to be scaring my new recruits." She said, turning and knowing the man would follow. They passed Rin in the hall, who shot Lucy a playful wink.

The tea was waiting on her desk and she poured them each a cup before sitting, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair. She watched as Mihawk removed Yoru from his back and gently set the giant sword leaning against the wall before taking the seat opposite her.

"I met a strange boy the other day." He started, pausing to take a sip of tea. "You never told me you had a brother."

Lucy laughed before responding, missing the way Mihawk's eyes stayed on her face. "It's not something I go bragging about. How do you figure we're siblings."

"Though at first your personalities would seem to be complete opposites, he reminded me of you quite a bit, not to mention the resemblance is there. Red-Hair provided the rest."

Of course he did.

"Please elaborate on just how he reminded you of me?" Lucy prodded, curious as to what Mihawk would have seen in Luffy that reminded him of her.

"He respected his friend's fight and refused to let anyone intervene, he cares about his friends immensely, he was willing to fight me even after seeing how easily I crushed his friend, you share the same drive and motivation, though he's not as logical as you by far, he just reminded me of you. His smile really solidified it, you two have the same smile."

Lucy could count on one hand the amount of people who had seen her smile, really smile, in years. Mihawk happened to be one of them.

"So you defeated his swordsman friend, Zoro I believed it was. Is he still alive?" Lucy questioned, ignoring the smile comment and taking a sip of tea, savoring the flavors as the hit her tongue.

"Yes," He responded, much to her surprise. "He has a talent I haven't seen in a long time. I want to see him grow and challenge me again, skilled swordsmen are in short supply."

"Leave it to Luffy to have a swordsman that Dracule Mihawk would take interest in on his crew." She laughed, shaking her head. Her brother truly was something else.

"It also seems he may have gotten Red-Leg Zeff's student to join him as well."

"Ah yes, the blonde one, he did. Also, Yassop -the marksman from Shank's crew-, his son is aligned with Luffy. His crew is shaping up to be rather formidable." Lucy couldn't distinguish if she was more proud of exasperated.

"He will be someone to keep an eye on. The World Government obviously wants him dealt with quickly, a thirty million starting bounty is no laughing matter." Mihawk pointed out. "He's going to become a top priority if he continues at the pace he is, what are you going to do if he gets captured?"

"We are both aware that the paths we walk make us enemies by nature. If we meet in battle we are not siblings, if he gets captured he's nothing more than another pirate." It wasn't really a lie. On the battlefield they would fight, should Luffy become captured, Lucy would not help him escape. If he was facing execution, however, that was a different matter entirely.

Mihawk stared at her intensely for a moment, his yellow eyes seeming to be looking at her very soul and she knew that he knew her truth.

"So, did you come only to talk about my brother?" She asked, attempting to change the subject.

"There seems to be a lack of people I'm able to hold intelligent conversation with." He replied easily.

Lucy didn't know what to call their relationship. She could tentatively call it a friendship. They didn't share secrets or anything normally affiliated with the word, but they enjoyed each other's company and that was a rare occurrence coming from both parties. There was no need for pretenses when they were together.

"So you destroy pirate ships in the East Blue when you're bored?" She teased, a playful smirk on her face.

"They disturbed my nap and I didn't have anything better to do." Mihawk defended. "Besides, I'm an ally of the World Government am I not? I defeated a notorious pirate."

"That's questionable at best."

"As is you saying your brother is nothing more than any other pirate." He shot back and Lucy kept her face blank.

"I am a Marine first, that is the choice I made." She way lying, she knew was lying and Mihawk knew she was lying. He was always able to read her no matter how hard she tried to hid her own emotions.

"Do you have destination at the moment or are you simply just sailing?" He asked, knowing the current conversation path would go nowhere.

"Alabasta." She replied quickly, too quickly and she berated herself. Mihawk thought for a moment before responding.

"That's where Crocodile has taken up residence is it not?" He questioned and Lucy nodded. "NO doubt he has a hand in whatever is going on. He's a despicable one."

"That he is." She agreed, finishing off her tea and pouring another cup.

"I should let you be on your way then, if Crocodile is involved it will not be an easy situation to remedy." Mihawk pointed out, standing and putting placing Yoru on his back.

"Easy? No. Possible? Yes." She replied, the beginnings of a smile lighting up her face and causing Mihawk to pause for a moment.

"I would call anyone else a fool for believing that, but I have no doubt you will emerge victorious." Lucy and Mihawk's eyes met and she found herself unable to look away. There was something there, only thinly veiled, a tenderness, like what she saw in Dragon's eyes but different. It made her palms sweaty and her breath caught in her throat so she quickly averted her gaze.

"I'll escort you out then, leaving you unaccompanied would terrify the new recruits."

The pair walked in silence to the deck.

"Till next time then." Mihawk said, tipping his hat and grinning at her before elegantly jumping off the side of her ship and landing in his coffin boat. Lucy watched the man sail away, forehead scrunched in confusion. Why was he looking at her like that? And why did it have that effect on her?

Lucy and Mihawk had known each other for going on three years, officially meeting not long after she became a Vice Admiral. They were instantly drawn to each other despite their age and occupational differences and after a few short conversations, realized they enjoyed each other's company. She just couldn't figure out what that look meant.

"LuLu, should we set sail for Alabasta?" Rin asked, standing behind Lucy as she stared out into the wide expanse of open ocean.

"Yes, we need to get there as soon as possible if we wish to contain the rebellion. Also, contact Headquarters and have them send over all information regarding the kingdom, the rebellion, and Crocodile. I don't want to go into this blindly."

"Anything you say LuLu." Rin sang before skipping away, once again leaving Lucy along with her thoughts. The sun was beginning to set, so most of her crew retreated to the barracks, but it meant nothing to Lucy. While most of her crew slept, she would be awake, like always. Ever since that day. That day exactly two years, one month, and seventeen days ago.

 _Please! Have mercy!_

 _She's just a child!_

 _Momma!_

 _Demon!_

Lucy shook her head and removed the hand that had wandered to her face, the scar below her left eye and balled her hand into a fist, nails digging into her palm hard enough to draw blood. It was the past, it couldn't be undone. It was no use to let the past effect the present.

With a sigh she walked to the bow of her ship and gracefully sat cross-legged atop it, a practice she only partook in at night. A soft breeze brushed past her and she took a deep breath, feeling the ship turn as they set sail in the direction of the desert kingdom. With a gentle wave of her hand the wind blew past her, catching the sails and increasing their pace.

Better to get the whole ordeal finished with sooner rather than later. Besides, Lucy had a feeling deep in her gut that her trouble seeking brother would no doubt find his way into the middle of the mess.

A/N: Okay so I mashed chapter two and chapter three into one because chapter three was short anyway. Hope you enjoyed!

 _ **thanzintay.2000: glad you like it!**_

 _ **blackcat711: thank you so much omg you made me smile so big, I love you**_

 _ **baronnis: thank you!**_

 _ **chibi-Clar: I'm glad you enjoy it! She's not gonna be so much as trailing as he causes such a commotion that as a Marine officer she can't just ignore it**_

 **thanzintay.2000:** _ **Added some laughter when I rewrote it, hope you enjoyed!**_

 **M.O.C.A.L.L.I.S.:** _ **I'm so excited to write the Crocodile interactions, it's definitely gonna be interesting! Glad you enjoyed.**_

 **baronnis** _ **: thank you! I hope the Dracule/Lucy interaction lived up to your expectations!**_

 **KoreanMusicFan** _ **: I addressed this in my A/N, sorry about the inconvenience**_

 **Havarti2:** _ **I addressed this in one of my previous A/N''s, due to the age difference between Mihawk and Luffy I decided to boost Luffy and Lucy's age a bit and I'm going to lower Mihawk's just to make it not so crazy. Sorry about the confusion**_


	4. Chapter 4

_It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe._

 _~Robert W. Service_

Lucy wasn't a fan of warmer weather, an unfortunate circumstance considering the closer they sailed to the Summer Island, the warmer the weather became. She was standing on the deck of her ship, observing her crew going through the necessary preparations for them to dock, when the desert island came into view.

The first thing she saw was sand, well, it was all she saw. Despite being more than a mile out from the island itself, the wind -that allegedly only blew from north to south- carried grains of sand with it. Lucy could feel the harsh texture grate upon her face as the breeze blew past. Wonderful.

"Please tell me you're going to change." Rin said hopefully, walking up behind her and giving her outfit a once over. Lucy rarely strayed from her typical attire which mainly consisted of a knee length black pencil skirt, a white button up, a pinstripe black blazer, a red tie, red pumps and her white Marne coat. Though it was more or less a uniform, even when not on duty it was rare to find Lucy in anything but something strictly professional.

"I cannot fathom why my wardrobe choices affect you." Lucy replied, glancing at her friend who was already donned in a more weather appropriate -and revealing- outfit.

"You're going to have a heat stroke LuLu." Rin pointed out and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"In case you have forgotten, I control the wind which means I am perfectly capable of regulating my body temperature." Lucy countered, a cool breeze blowing past them to prove her point. Rin huffed, running a hand through their short blue hair. She fought the urge to tease her friend, hyper aware of the crew surrounding them. The Lucy they knew wouldn't tease someone, wouldn't have a sense of humor at all.

"So what's the plan?" Rin asked, eyes on the island they were approaching at an unnaturally fast pace due to the Vice Admiral.

"I need to gather what I can from King Cobra first and foremost." Lucy stated, putting her arms behind her back. "I would like to stop this whole ordeal before blood is shed, but if worse comes to worse we will stand with the king against the rebel army."

"What about Crocodile?" Rin prompted, grimacing as if just saying the man's name left a foul taste in their mouth.

"From what I've gathered he's become somewhat of a hero in Alabasta." Lucy informed, sneering at the word hero. "I've no doubt it's something he's orchestrated himself. Best case scenario is that we stop the rebel army peacefully and expose Crocodile for what he really is."

"What about worst case?"

"I rather not think about the worst case." Lucy admitted, striding to the bow of the ship and placing her hands on the railing. She knew the mission she was embarking on wasn't an easy one, but then again, nothing she did was easy, headquarters made sure of that.

However, stopping a rebel army and thwarting Crocodile was a welcome relief to her usual assignments of escorting Tenryuubito. It was as if she was a magnet to them because she always ended up being the closest Vice Admiral. The emotionless mask she donned was always pushed to its limits when she in contact with one of them. It was sickening to have to witness their behavior up close, the selfishness, the disregard for everyone around them, the lack of humanity. Not that she wasn't already familiar with it.

"We'll be entering the Sandora River soon Vice Admiral." A young man reported from behind Lucy and she nodded once in acknowledgement before turning and striding below deck to the massive training room. It was filled with the recruits she had picked up only a few days ago and they jumped to attention when she entered.

She made a small noise of displeasure. Their salutes were sloppy.

"I am Vice Admiral Lucy, I apologize that proper introductions were not done earlier." Not that they were necessary, but Lucy always kept her manners. "As you've heard, we have been sent to lend aid to King Cobra of Alabasta against the Rebel Army. You are all mere fletchlings who have never seen a real battle which is why I'm here. Only if you can prove yourself against me will I let you disembark once we reach Alubarna, if you cannot, you will stay on the ship."

There were equal looks determination and fear spread across the recruits. It wasn't how she wanted to spend her time, but she knew these recruits were the bottom of the barrel, it stopped annoying her a long time ago. Despite headquarters setting her up for failure at every turn, she refused to give up. She personally trained the recruits they gave her, molded them into ideal Marines. The one on one time she spent with them gave one of the most loyal crews within the Marines.

Usually she would have waited until after the mess in Alabasta was cleaned up, all of the recruits would have just stayed on the ship. However, with the additional threat of Crocodile, she figured extra help wouldn't hurt. If any of the recruits were ready she would take them, but she didn't have high expectations.

"Come at me in increments of five." Was her only command as she had one of the wooden swords on the wall float to her. No one moved for a minute before finally one recruit stepped forward, determination present on her face. Four more followed, but Lucy wasn't focused on them.

The first to step forward was always a hit or miss. Either they were too cocky, too self-assured in their own abilities and ultimately the first to quit when they get a taste of their own medicine, or they held the same determination as herself, the drive to succeed, and those always excelled.

The girl with determination in her eyes reached her first, she was quick and Lucy felt the strength in her swing when their swords collided. In a move almost too fast for them to follow, she batted away the two who tried to attack her from behind and raised her left arm to block the swing of a blade, not needing to look at her arm to know it was pitch black.

Driving back the determined girl, she dropped to the ground, dodging the attack of the third recruit and simultaneously batting away the second one. Before the third one could blink, Lucy's arm collided with their chest and they were thrown back.

Lucy's eyes focused back on the girl and she's pleased to see her determination hadn't faltered despite seeing how easily her comrades were taken out.

"Don't hold back." The girl gritted out and the smallest grin appeared on Lucy's face. It was an impossible request, but one Lucy respected nonetheless. If the Vice Admiral didn't hold back the recruit would be on the floor in seconds and she wouldn't have been able to properly gauge her abilities.

The girl knew how to handle a sword, that much was obvious. Lucy could feel the confidence in the way she held the weapon, the sureness in each strike, there was a touch of nervousness, but given Lucy's reputation she couldn't blame her. Regardless, she was trained well. However, she was still only a recruit and not a true match for the Vice Admiral. That was evident in the way Lucy disarmed her not a minute later.

She was noticeably upset, which greatly amused Lucy. "What's your name?"

The girl was taken by surprise, not having been expecting to be directly addressed.

"Kina Roe." She finally said, snapping to a pristine salute.

"Alright Kina, left wall, you four, right wall." Lucy commanded.

The next hour went more or less the same. By the time she fought her way through the last increment of five, there were twenty-three against the left wall and seventy-seven along the right wall. Those along the left wall where the ones she would allow to disembark in Alabasta and the rest would stay on the ship.

"You look pleased." Rin commented as she walked out of the training room, pushing off from the wall they had been leaning against and matching her stride.

"I am." She replied simply.

"Twenty-three's a big number. Can't remember the last time there were that many promising recruits." Rin thought aloud and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"There are a few gems merely in need of a little polishing. One girl is particularly interesting." Lucy admitted, thinking about Kina, the fiery determination in her eyes, that same look that mirrored her own. She couldn't help but wonder what her goal was, what she wished to achieve. To have that look, Lucy knew it had to be something serious. Maybe not quite on par with her own dream, but that didn't diminish it in the slightest.

"Particularly interesting huh?" Rin asked, smirking and suggestively waggling their eyebrows. "She's just a recruit Vice Admiral, that's scandalous."

"It's out of line for you to even suggest that, not that you're really one to talk in the first place Rin." She replied, a knowing smile on her own face. Her friend wasn't the most innocent, that was for sure. Her androgynous friend had their share of exploits, yet still managed to keep their biological gender from the masses. Lucy didn't know how they did it, and wasn't going to ask.

"Don't be jealous LuLu, you know you're the only one for me!"

"I'm hardly jealous Rin." Walking back onto the deck, the sweltering heat caused her to grimace. It was cooler below deck. They were well into the Sandora River and everywhere she looked, all she saw was sand.

"Hopefully I can get a nice tan while we're here." Rin breathed, their arms stretched behind their head as the soaked in the sun's harsh rays. "Maybe you can get one too, not that you need it."

Compared to Rin's easily burned ivory, Lucy's skin was a warm, honey brown that rarely burned. She tanned easily, and knew she would be darker if she spent more time above deck instead of in her office, but how tan her skin happened to be wasn't something she concerned herself with.

"You can feel the unrest here. The wind is troubled." Lucy thought aloud.

"Okay mystical madame, you sound like some kind of crazy gypsy lady when you talk like that yanno." Rin pointed out, grinning as Lucy rolled her eyes.

She knew she sounded ridiculous, it wasn't something one could say without sounding disturbed. But she manipulated the wind, she was able to become the wind, and things carried in the wind. She couldn't describe it, but when she felt the wind run through her body, she could feel the unrest. The fear, the anger, the scent of death, it all carried. It set her on edge.

And there was something else. She could feel someone watching her, could feel calculating eyes appraising her. Lucy couldn't pinpoint their location, but she knew they were close, and they were not friendly.

Things were worse than she had feared.

…

"A Marine warship?" Crocodile repeated slowly, back to the woman standing in front of his desk.

"Yes, I confirmed it myself." Miss All Sunday replied, arms crossed as she stared at the man's intimidating back.

"Who is it?" He asked, exhaling the smoke from his cigar.

"Vice Admiral Monkey D. Lucy." Miss All Sunday reported, thinking back on the young woman she had seen, how despite being careful, still sensed her presence. From her reputation, the Vice Admiral would not be an easy adversary to overcome.

"She will pose a problem, but she is still merely a child. The plan will proceed as scheduled." Crocodile said, taking a long drag of his cigar and closing his eyes. He wouldn't let her get in his way, he'd worked too long for it to be thwarted by a little girl.

 **A/N: I'm back! I finally finished my first year of college so now I have all summer to write! Hopefully my updates will be more frequent but I do have a lot of personal stuff going on at the moment so don't get your hopes up. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, lemme know what you think!**

 **M.O.C.A.L.L.I.S:** _ **Boy lemme tell you, I already have the whole Ace scene written already, it's actually the first thing I wrote for this story. We'll get to her relation with Ace eventually, don't worry!**_

 **Flowerbelle:** _ **glad you liked it!**_

 **UchakoAra:** _ **thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_In the desert, the only God is a well._

 _~Vera Nazarian; Dreams of the Compass Rose_

"I have to thank you again for coming Vice Admiral, I have to admit, I was unsure if the Marines would be offering us aid." King Cobra Nefeltari admitted, putting down his glass of wine and meeting the calculating eyes of the Vice Admiral. He couldn't help but be taken aback when he looked at her, the girl couldn't be that much older than his own daughter, yet her eyes told a different tale.

"Alabasta is one of the twenty founding countries, the Marines would not sit idly by when it was in need of aid. Helping keep order is our mission." Lucy replied diplomatically, raising her own cup to her lips and taking a sip. She rarely drank alcoholic beverages, but it would have been rude to refuse the King's offer. Rin, who was seated to her right, took a long swig of their own beverage and Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"How many men have you brought?" Chaka, one of the two head guards and possessor of the Dog-Dog Fruit: Model Jackal, inquired.

"Five hundred." Lucy answered before continuing. "But let's hope it doesn't escalate to that point."

"I agree with the Vice Admiral." King Cobra sighed. "The last thing I want is for my citizens' blood to be shed. The lack of rain has been hard on everybody, I share in my people's frustration."

Lucy only knew the man in front of her from reports, and most of the time words on a paper hardly did someone justice. She had read how caring and compassionate the king was, it was reassuring it turned out to be true. Being a Marine meant she had to follow orders, she was required to help him no matter what kind of man he turned out to be as long as he wasn't breaking the law. Sadly, there was no law against being a scumbag so she had to bite her tongue and soldiered on more times than she would have liked to.

"There was something else I wished to discuss with you." Lucy admitted, treading lightly. "Crocodile seems to have taken up residence in your country, correct?"

She knew the answer, but it was the easiest way to breach the subject.

"Ah yes." Cobra sighed. "Sir Crocodile has become somewhat of a hero. He's always there when my people need him. I could never repay him."

Lucy folded her hands in contemplation. She wasn't surprised by what she heard. Of course, Crocodile had himself shown in the best light. He was a hero, he was trusted, even Cobra had respect for him. She couldn't openly oppose him without repercussion from those who see him as a savior.

"I'm happy to know he's doing such an honorable thing." Lucy replied, keeping a neutral expression on her face, but noticing Pell -the other head guard and possessor of the Bird-Bird Fruit: Model Falcon- keeping an eye on her. "However, a government ordained pirate is still a pirate and I will have to visit him myself."

A lie, but she needed a reason to investigate the man.

"I understand." Cobra nodded. "So, what do you propose?"

"I will go alone and leave Rin here to act in my stead." Lucy felt Rin tense and knew her friend was poised to argue, so she gave them a swift kick. "I shouldn't be more than two or three days, and should a situation arise Rin is more than capable of leading the crew."

"Are you sure about travelling by yourself?" Cobra asked, concern lacing his features. "I'm sure you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but you are a stranger to Alabasta and the terrain is not forgiving."

"With all due respect, I work better alone Your Majesty. I will not be making the journey on foot, so any persons accompanying me would only hinder me." There were two reasons Lucy needed to go alone, the first being the reason she gave the king, the second being that Crocodile was a dangerous man whom she needed to tread carefully against. Should she bring someone along and things get messy, she didn't need another casualty to worry about.

"When do you plan to set out then?" He asked, deciding not to argue with Lucy.

"I'll depart when the sun sets."

…

"Are you serious Lucy?!" Rin huffed angrily, the two of them in the privacy of Lucy's temporary room. The woman in question was sprawled out on the bed in an uncommonly relaxed manner, relishing in the softness of the bed, in the lack of movement that accompanied being on solid ground. Though she had gotten used to the constant rocking that being at sea brought, she appreciated the stillness.

"I'm very serious Rin." She replied, eyes shut.

"Crocodile is _dangerous_. I know how strong you are but this is his terrain, this geography is where he's at his strongest." They informed and Lucy sighed before sitting up.

"Why can't you just trust me?"

"I do trust you, with my life, but you try and do everything alone. Let me help you." Her friend stressed, eyes pleading with her to change her mind.

"You will be helping me, by staying here and mobilizing the crew should it come to it. There's no one else I could trust with that task Rin, you know that." She said. "I'm not visiting Crocodile to instigate a fight, I'm simply going to collect as much information about his plans here as I can. He wouldn't dare attack me outright. Cobra, King of Alabasta, knows I'm going visit him, if something happened to me the Government would jump at the chance to remove that despicable man from power."

"You are impossible." Rin groaned, flopping down on the bed in defeat.

Lucy didn't respond, opting to lay back down in silence. The pair stayed like that until the sun began to set.

"That's my cue." She said, leaving the comfort of the bed and stretching, a yawn escaping.

"You could at least rest for a day." Rin suggested.

"No time, we don't know when the rebels will attack or when Crocodile will execute his own plans. I'll sleep when the whole mess is over." Lucy promised, grabbing her discarded white coat and slipping it on, the familiar weight of the heavy garment a constant reminder of who she was.

"Good luck out there." They called as she strapped her naginata across her back. It was rare of her to carry a physical weapon, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"You too." She replied before slipping out the door. Lucy wasn't surprised to see Pell waiting for her at the front gate.

"You lied to His Majesty about your reasoning for visiting Crocodile." He said in place of a greeting.

"You are correct." There was no use lying to the man.

"You do not trust him. You believe he has something to do with whatever is happening."

"I would bet my life on it."

"I'm coming with you, I have no need to make the journey on foot."

Lucy sighed. She had been expecting this. From what she had gathered of the man standing in front of her his loyalty to the royal family was unyielding and he was completely selfless. He would do anything to protect them.

"I don't plan on engaging Crocodile, I'm merely going to collect intel." She stressed.

"Okay."

Lucy sighed again. "Don't slow me down."

"I won't." He said, already in his full falcon form. She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her naginata from her back, spinning it upright and holding it firmly in her right hand. Pell tensed and Lucy couldn't help but smirk. She tapped it once on the ground and the blade retracted while fan-like wings sprouted from the sides, effectively transforming the weapon into a glider like object.

"Let's go." She said, grabbing onto the handles on the front -larger- wings as a gust of wind blew past them, catching onto the glider and sending Lucy soaring ahead.

…

The desert was hot and that was an understatement, but it was the first word that sprung to Lucy's mind as the unforgiving sun beat down on her and her feathered friend. They rarely stopped for breaks, both wanting to get there as fast as possible and both too stubborn to admit they might need one as they were both prideful. Lucy and Pell didn't talk, both were quiet people by nature and found no need to fill the silence with unnecessary conversation.

"We should be arriving soon." Pell stated simply and Lucy merely nodded in acknowledgement. That was the extent of their interactions.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy willed a small breeze to circulate around herself for a moment before sending it to her companion. She only did it when the heat became unbearable, wanting to conserve her energy should her meeting with Crocodile turn sour.

However, there was another reason she was pushing herself to get to Rainbase, another reason she was conserving her energy.

Luffy.

She knew he was in Alabasta. She had known the minute they docked and she knew he was already in Rainbase.

Lucy also knew if Luffy figured out how Crocodile was tied to the dissent in Alabasta, he wouldn't hesitate to try and take on the Shichibukai by himself. While Lucy knew her brother was no pushover, he hadn't been in the Grand Line long. He met Mihawk, yes, he had seen the strength that was out there, but her brother had a stunning lack of self-preservation, something they seemed to share.

Crocodile was in his element in Alabasta and her brother was the definition of bullheaded.

"Something is weighing heavy on your mind." Pell observed, eyes focused straight ahead.

"You are correct." Was all Lucy said in response.

"It's not good to go into a fight with a clouded mind." She felt a twinge of irritation at the man's words. What right did he have to give her advice on battles?

"I'm aware of that Pell, thank you." Lucy replied calmer than she felt. She took a deep breath, reminding herself not to get worked it. It was the heat. The wings on her glider gave her some relief, shading her from the harsh sun but it was still suffocating.

After what seemed like an eternity, the city finally came into view and, stretching out of Observation Haki, sensed someone she hadn't been expecting.

"Excuse me Pell." Lucy said, diving into the city and landing in front of Smoker.

"Vice Admiral." He greeted curtly, nodding once.

"Smoker, I wasn't aware you would be here." She admitted. He wasn't here on a mission from headquarters, that was certain. But what would he be doing in Alabasta? Lucy couldn't remember the last time he left his post in Loguetown.

"I had some business to take care of." He stated, not elaborating. Strange.

"Have you seen Crocodile by any chance, I'm here to talk to him."

"Crocodile has gone rogue, tried to kill me and the Strawhats." Smoker grumbled and Lucy nodded.

"Well, that's certainly not surprising. I'll need you to give me a briefing of what exactly went down." Lucy commanded.

And so he told her everything; about how he planned on making Smoker's death "accidental", how he was the leader of Baroque Works, how he used the Rain Powder, how he fueled the growing dissent, how he planned to destroy Alabasta, how the rebel and royal armies were going to clash at any minute.

"I've called for reinforcements." Smoker finished, taking a long drag of his cigars. Lucy nodded, then had a startling thought. Pell. He would have gone straight to Vivi.

Stretching out her Observation Haki, she felt his startling weak presence coming from her feathered friend and took off without a word to Smoker.

"Pell." She gasped, finding the man beaten and broken, alone atop a building. Pell was not a pushover, he was a captain of the guard, she had heard about his prowess. To be so thoroughly defeated. The person was no joke.

"Vivi." He managed to joke out as Lucy kneeled beside him. "Save her. Please."

Before she could reply, he was unconscious.

"Shit."

Lucy didn't curse often, but when she did it was because things were going horribly wrong and her current situation could certainly be defined as horribly wrong.

In a flurry of activity, Lucy dropped Pell off with Smoker, giving the man clear instructions to make sure the head guard survived and disappeared. Luffy was on the move, and so was Crocodile.

Lucy saw the sandstorm at the same moment she doubled over in pain.

Luffy.

The scene she came across made her blood run cold.

There he was. Luffy. Her twin. Her other half. Her little brother by two hours. Held up only by Crocodiles hook, which he was impaled upon.

She saw red.

"Luffy!" She shrieked, switching her glider back to its weapon form midair and diving towards Crocodile.

The Shichibukai threw her brother like a ragdoll and moved to block her blade with his hook. However, she dropped low and swiped at his legs, managing to slice one of his legs before he had enough sense to jump away.

"You imbed your weapon with Armament, smart." He commented lazily. "Nice to finally meet you Vice Admiral Monkey D. Lucy."

"I can't say the same for you." She snapped, striking at him and managing to slash at his torso. He was getting angry. That was good.

"I've had it with you Monkeys'." He growled angrily and Lucy struck again. However, instead of striking him, when she was close enough, she put her hand in front of his mouth, formed a fist, and pulled _hard_.

Crocodile sunk to his knees immediately.

"I like it better when you can't talk." Lucy smirked as the man gasped for air.

"Lu?" A weak voice called and her attention immediately went to her brother whom was slowly sinking into quicksand. Crocodile took advantage of her distraction and disappeared into a whirlwind of sand.

"I'm here Lu." Lucy said, dropping to her knees next to her bloodied brother and pulling him out of the quicksand.

"Can I hug you know?" He asked and she felt tears come to her eyes and she wrapped her arms around his limp form and held him tight to her chest.

"You're gonna be okay Lu. I promise." Lucy whispered and she didn't have to look at her brother to know he was smiling.

"Okay." And he was unconscious.

"Why does he fight? Why do you fight?" A feminine voice asked from behind you. It was the same person she had sensed the day she arrived in Alabasta. "You, who have the name of "D"?"

"We both have dreams we wish to make realities, though I must admit my brother tends to fight for more noble causes than myself." Lucy replied, turning and meeting the calculating eyes of Nico Robin.

She knew who the woman was, of course she did. Ever marine knew the "Devil Child".

"I answered your question, so now answer mine." Lucy started, strapping her naginata across of back and throwing Luffy over her shoulder. "Why did you ally yourself with Crocodile? What could you possibly gain by working for him?"

"That was two questions." Robin pointed out.

"As I recall, you also asked me two questions." Lucy shot back and saw the corners of Robin's mouth lift, if only slightly.

"I guess I too have a dream I wish to make a reality, and Crocodile might be able to help me achieve it."

"I'll see you in Alubarna then?" The vice admiral asked, Luffy's blood seeping into her white coat.

"That you will." Robin replied and she was gone.

 **A/N: It's 4am and I'm so sleepy but here ya go. I love you all, sorry about any grammar/spelling mistakes.**

 **thanzintay.2000:** _ **thank you so much!**_

 **baronnis:** _ **hope the lil lucy/croc mini battle lived up to your expectations!**_

 **UchakoAro:** _ **ask and you shall receive, hope you liked it!**_


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